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Florida: They pleaded in vain for their lives: ex-sniper kills baby and three adults

Florida
They pleaded in vain for their lives: ex-sniper kills baby and three adults



Horror Day in Polk County, Florida. A former US Army sniper shot dead four people, including a three-month-old baby. He chooses his victims at random. And he knew no mercy.

A heavily armed shooter killed four people in a brutal attack in the US state of Florida on Sunday. The perpetrator shot a man, 40, and a woman, 33, and a baby in a house near Lakeland that night; a three-month-old boy whom the woman held in her arms. This was reported by Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd at a press conference. An eleven-year-old girl was injured by several gunshots, but survived, another girl was wanted, but was apparently not at the scene during the shooting. Another woman, 62, who is said to be the grandmother of the slain little boy, was killed in another house on the property.

The attacker had a shootout with police officers on the premises and surrendered in the end, said Judd. The man wore full riot gear including a bulletproof vest. Dozens, if not hundreds, of shots were fired during the exchange of fire with the rushing police officers. “He came for a gun battle,” said Judd. “We do not know, why.”

Sniper an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran

According to initial findings, the shooter is a 33-year-old who was in action for the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Marine Corps veteran confessed that the victims pleaded with him to let them live and that he shot them anyway. The shooter also stated that he had taken methamphetamine. According to the initial investigations, no connection is known between the perpetrator and the victims. “We just know that we had a crazy man with many guns who shot innocent people.”

The shooter’s girlfriend, who has lived with him for four years, according to US media reports, said the 33-year-old suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was also depressed at times, but never violent. Most recently he worked as a security guard in a church in Orlando. A week ago he came home from work and claimed he had spoken to God directly.

“Bad to the core”

This is matched by further information from Sheriff Judd. The police officer said during the press conference that the night before the crime, residents of the house had called the police because a man with a car had appeared in front of the house and said, “God sent me to talk to one of your daughters . ” He said the name was Amber, but he was told that there was no girl with that name in the family.

When a police patrol arrived, the suspect could no longer be found, it is said. A few hours later, the brutal attack finally took place. Judd described the attacker as “heartless” and “evil to the core”. He also shot the family dog.

Attacker wanted to overpower police officer in hospital

The attacker himself was injured in the exchange of fire with the police. After he surrendered, he was taken to the hospital. There he tried to take the gun from a police officer and was then immobilized.

dho
DPA
AFP

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